Before the release of the new and revised CPR guideline, we are following the traditional A-B-C of CPR which stands for airway, breathing and circulation. Today, the American Heart Association advised the public that instead of following the obsolete A-B-C of CPR, the new acronym of C-A-B has been released. C-A-B stands for chest compression, airway and breathing.

But for those of us who don’t understand what clearing the airway really means, this might result into great confusion and never ending debate. According to AHA, not all bystanders are capable of immediately clearing the airway of the victim that usually results into a “time wasting moment” which is very unacceptable to save the life of the patient. Instead of taking so much time maneuvering the body to open the airway, chest compression should be started. To whichever way you believe is much more effective may it be the A-B-C or C-A-B, we cannot deny the fact that clearing the airway is indeed necessary to save the victim’s life.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest usually results into a great need of the body for oxygen; same reason can also be applied that’s why time is of the essence when it comes to CPR.  Since the heart is damaged and failed to supply oxygenated blood on our body, alternative source of oxygen should be given to the victim. Our body cannot survive without oxygen most especially the brain which only takes 3-5 minutes before it can bring permanent damage or sometimes even death. Considering these vital reasons and more, clearing the airway should never be neglected on CPR aside from the infamous chest compression.

There are two ways which you can utilize to open the airway of the patient. First is the head tilt – chin lift maneuver and jaw thrust. You can do this by following the instructions below:

1. Head tilt – chin lift maneuver – place one of your hands to the victim’s forehead and gently apply an upward firm back pressure to push the head back. Using the fingers of your other hand, place it under the bony part of the chin and lift it forward to open the airway.
2. Jaw thrust – kneel down to the patient and grasp the angle of his lower jaw and lift it both up and away to temporarily displace it on the mandible thus opening the airway.

With the above ways of opening the airway, head tilt – chin lift maneuver is safer to perform than jaw thrust. Jaw thrust is more invasive and requires highly specialized skill for it to be performed correctly.

Most of the time, the tongue of the patient is being displaced backward following a Sudden Cardiac Arrest that usually results into a partial or complete blocking of the airway passage. This is the main reason why clearing the airway should be done FIRST before giving a ventilation. If you try to give ventilation without opening or clearing the airway, things will be useless. Note that there is a huge difference between opening the airway from ventilation, opening the airway means removing any obstruction from the airway passage (tongue on SCA) while ventilation means providing an alternative source of oxygen for the body such as mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Whether you will be following the traditional A-B-C of CPR or the new C-A-B, remember that clearing the airway is very important to make CPR successful and reliable. Doing chest compressions will only revitalize the heart but it doesn’t guarantee good supply of oxygen to the brain thus airway and breathing are both important to increase the survival rate of the victim.

The best answer to battle sudden cardiac arrest is to invest in an automated external defibrillator, or better known as an AED.  These devices will monitor the heart rhythm  and will provide a shock if necessary.

Ventricular defibrillation is the cause of a sudden cardiac arrest. There is an electrical system in the heart that controls the rate and rhythm. During this condition the heart beat is in an irregular manner also called as arrhythmia. An arrhythmia can indicate either the heart beating too fast or too slow with an irregular rhythm and it is this which causes a person to experience a sudden cardiac arrest.

We all want to be fit and healthy that is why going to health fitness centers is a must for each and every one of us. This establishment is actually built to help us relax, de-stress and most of all, to be fit and healthy. But what if the establishment itself lacks Emergency Medical Devices such as AEDs? How can one establishment help save our life? What if they already have it at hand but no one else is trained to use it? Read these two real life stories about Sudden Cardiac Arrest that happens on two different Health Fitness Centers and be the judge who’s to blame.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest or SAC occurs because of a condition called ventricular defibrillation. During this condition, the lower chambers of the heart do not function properly. The fibrillation of the ventricles does not allow them to contract normally and as such poses a severe problem to pumping blood efficiently.

This arrhythmia causes the heart to not pump blood to the brain and other vital organs which results in the heart beating in a chaotic and irregular manner. If this condition is not treated in minutes with the help of an automatic external defibrillator or AED, then it can lead to the death of a person.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest is one of the leading causes of death in the United States with over 300,000 people experiencing it every year. The condition is quite fatal, with the victims having a survival rate of only 5%. As such, it is very important to know the factors that can cause this condition so that we can take all the precautions necessary to be healthy and safe.

The following are the symptoms which can lead to this condition in the future- people having a family history of heart disease, heart attack or cardiac death, people experiencing sudden fainting spells, shortness of breath an chest pain, having a heart attack can also lead to this condition, having a cardiac ejection fraction of less than 40% and having high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity or high cholesterol are all the risk factors. Any person having these symptoms should immediately get a checkup done by a heart specialist.

The most common symptoms that a person having a Sudden Cardiac Arrest experiences chest pain, an acute pain in the left arm, shoulders or jaw, difficulty in breathing, dizziness, vomiting, nausea, sweating, immediate loss of consciousness, a racing heart beat and if no immediate action is taken then finally the breathing stops and death occurs.

When a person collapses from Sudden Cardiac Arrest then immediate action is required in order to save the person’s life. Calling 911 and any other emergency number should be immediately done so that we can be assured that professional help is at hand. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation using an automatic external defibrillator (AED) should be done.

The AED first analyses the heart beat and the patient’s condition and through either a voice prompt or visual display indicates the next course of action that should be taken. It instructs the user to press a specific button which can help deliver a shock to bring back the person’s heart beat to normal. After the first shock is given, the device monitors the victim’s vital statistics and then decides if cardiopulmonary resuscitation or another shock is required or not. AED’s should be made available int all public places and workplaces.  They are relatively inexpensive when you consider their life saving value.

When the AED is turned on, he pads have to be placed on the victim’s chest for the device to monitor his condition. The AED monitors the victim’s heartbeat and then considers various factors before deciding that a shock is necessary. After getting charged, it instructs the user to administer the shock and gives detailed instructions to help in administering the shock.